Semiconductor module

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor module that restrains the occurrence of detachment and an operation failure. The semiconductor module includes a PCB base, a conductive die pad provided on the PCB base, a semiconductor die provided on the conductive die pad, and a conductive die bonding agent that electrically connects the conductive die pad and the semiconductor die. The semiconductor module further includes a wire bonding pad provided on the PCB base, a wire that electrically connects the wire bonding pad and the semiconductor die, and a sealing resin that seals the conductive die pad, the semiconductor die, the conductive die bonding agent, the wire bonding pad, and the wire. In a planar view, the area of the conductive die pad is 5.0 mm 2  or less.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/837,560 filed Dec. 11, 2017, which claims benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/434,119, filed Dec. 14, 2016, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor module.

Description of Related Art

There has been known a semiconductor module in which a semiconductor die provided on a conductive die pad is sealed by a resin. In general, resins exhibit a poor thermal conductivity, so that the size of a conductive die pad is increased thereby to dissipate the heat generated in a semiconductor die.

SUMMARY

However, a stress test in which reflow is carried out in a hot and humid environment has confirmed the occurrence of detachment between a conductive die bonding agent, which is used to connect a semiconductor die to a conductive die pad, and the conductive die pad. In addition, operation failures, such as a malfunction and fluctuations in gain value, have been also confirmed.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and it is an object of the disclosure to provide a semiconductor module that reduces the detachment between a conductive die bonding agent and a conductive die pad or a semiconductor die, and operation failures.

A semiconductor module according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a substrate; a conductive die pad provided on the substrate; a semiconductor die provided on the conductive die pad; a conductive die bonding agent that electrically connects the conductive die pad and the semiconductor die; a wire bonding pad provided on the substrate; and a wire that electrically connects the wire bonding pad and the semiconductor die. The semiconductor module further includes a sealing resin that seals at least the conductive die pad, the semiconductor die, the conductive die bonding agent, the wire bonding pad, and the wire. Further, the area of the conductive die pad is 5.0 mm² or less in a planar view.

A semiconductor module according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes: a substrate; a conductive die pad which is provided on the substrate and the surface material of which is Cu; a semiconductor die provided on the conductive die pad; and a conductive die bonding agent which electrically connects the conductive die pad and the semiconductor die. The semiconductor module according to this aspect further includes a wire bonding pad which is provided on the substrate and the surface material of which is a metal containing Au; and a wire which electrically connects the wire bonding pad and the semiconductor die.

A semiconductor module according to yet another aspect of the present disclosure includes: a substrate; a first conductive die pad provided on the substrate; a second conductive die pad provided adjacently to and apart from the first conductive die pad on the substrate; and a semiconductor die. The semiconductor module according to this aspect further includes a conductive die bonding agent which is in contact with the first conductive die pad, the second conductive die pad, and a substrate in a gap between the first conductive die pad and the second conductive die pad, and which electrically connects the first conductive die pad and the second conductive die pad and the semiconductor die.

According to the present disclosure, a semiconductor module can be provided, which restricts the detachment between a conductive die bonding agent and a conductive die pad or a semiconductor die.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A through 1D present schematic plan views illustrating a semiconductor module of a comparative example and a semiconductor module of an embodiment;

FIGS. 2A and 2B present the sectional views of a semiconductor module according to the comparative example;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a semiconductor module according to a first embodiment;

FIGS. 4A and 4B present sectional views of a semiconductor module according to a second embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a semiconductor module according to a third embodiment;

FIGS. 6A and 6B present graphs illustrating the areas of conductive die pads (and conductive die bonding agents) and the results of hot and humid stress tests;

FIGS. 7A and 7B present graphs illustrating the distances between the conductive die pad and a semiconductor die in a planar view, and the results of hot and humid stress tests;

FIG. 8 illustrates the edge of a conductive die pad having an inverse tapered shape;

FIG. 9 is a plan view illustrating a conductive die bonding agent with reduced wet spread;

FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a conductive die pad on a plurality of heat dissipation vias;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a PCB base in which an anti-flow groove has been formed;

FIGS. 12A and 12B present plan views illustrating a semiconductor die provided on conductive die pads formed apart from each other;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view of a semiconductor module according to a fifth embodiment;

FIGS. 14A and 14B present diagrams illustrating the manufacturing process of the semiconductor module according to the fifth embodiment; and

FIG. 15 is a graph illustrating the comparison in gain fluctuation value after a hot and humid stress test between a conductive die pad using NiPdAu as the surface material thereof and a conductive die pad using Cu as the surface material thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following will describe in detail the embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. A description of the elements that have the same functions or configurations as those of comparative examples or other embodiments will be simplified or omitted. The following embodiments are illustrations for explaining the present disclosure and are not meant to limit the present disclosure only to the embodiments. Further, the present disclosure can be implemented in a variety of modifications insofar as the modifications do not depart from the spirit of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 1A-1D present schematic plan views illustrating a semiconductor module 1 according to a comparative example and semiconductor modules 2, 3 and 4 according to the embodiments. FIG. 1A illustrates the semiconductor module 1 according to the comparative example, which includes a PCB base 16 (substrate), a conductive die pad 11 a placed on the PCB base 16, two semiconductor dies 12 a and 12 b placed on the conductive die pad 11 a, and a conductive die bonding agent (conductive die bond), which is not illustrated, the bonding agent being used to electrically connect the semiconductor dies 12 a and 12 b to the conductive die pad 11 a. The semiconductor module 1 further includes a plurality of wires 13 for electrically interconnecting the semiconductor dies 12 a and 12 b, or electrically connecting the semiconductor dies 12 a and 12 b with other metal wiring (not illustrated). Further, these elements are sealed by a sealing resin (not illustrated).

FIG. 1B illustrates a semiconductor module 2 according to a first embodiment. A conductive die pad 11 b of the semiconductor module 2 is formed to have an area that is smaller than the area of the conductive die pad 11 a of the comparative example, as observed in a planar view. Hence, the distance between the boundaries of the semiconductor dies 12 a and 12 b and the boundary of the conductive die pad 11 b is smaller than that in the comparative example. Further, the area of a conductive die bonding agent (not illustrated) applied onto the conductive die pad 11 b is also smaller. The semiconductor module 2 will be further described hereinafter.

FIG. 1C illustrates a semiconductor module 3 according to a second embodiment. A conductive die pad 11 c of the semiconductor module 3 and a conductive die pad 11 c′ adjacent to the conductive die pad 11 c are formed apart from each other. Further, the semiconductor dies 12 b and 12 a are formed on the conductive die pads 11 c and 11 c′, respectively. The adjoining semiconductor dies 12 a and 12 b are electrically connected by at least one wire 13. The semiconductor module 3 will be further described hereinafter.

FIG. 1D illustrates a semiconductor module 4 according to a third embodiment. A semiconductor die 12 b of adjoining semiconductor dies 12 a and 12 b of the semiconductor module 4 does not require electrical connection from a bottom surface. Hence, a conductive die pad for the semiconductor die 12 b is not provided, while a conductive die pad 11 d electrically connected with the semiconductor die 12 a through a conductive die bonding agent (not illustrated) is provided. The semiconductor die 12 b is connected directly to a PCB base 16 through an insulating die bonding agent or through a solder resist (not illustrated). The semiconductor module 4 will be further described hereinafter.

FIG. 2A is a sectional view of a semiconductor module 1′ according to another comparative example. As illustrated in the sectional view, the semiconductor module 1′ includes a PCB base 16 (substrate), a conductive die pad 11 a placed on the PCB base 16, a semiconductor die 12 a placed on the conductive die pad 11 a, and a conductive die bonding agent 14 a which electrically connects the conductive die pad 11 a and the semiconductor die 12 a. Further, a wire bonding pad 18 and a metal wire connected to the wire bonding pad 18 are formed on the PCB base 16 such that the wire bonding pad 18 is adjacent to and apart from the conductive die pad 11 a. The wire bonding pad 18 and the semiconductor die 12 a are electrically connected by a wire 13. Metal wiring for the connection is protected by a solder resist 15. Further, these elements are sealed by a sealing resin 17.

The semiconductor module 1′ was subjected to a stress test, in which a plurality of reflows at 250° C. or more are carried out in a hot and humid environment (e.g. a temperature of 80° C. or more and a humidity of 80% or more) (hereinafter referred to as “the hot and humid stress test”). The test results have revealed detachment 100 between the conductive die bonding agent 14 a and the conductive die pad 11 a, as illustrated in FIG. 2B. It has also been confirmed that the detachment occurs between the conductive die bonding agent 14 a and the semiconductor die 12 a in some cases, and the detachment occurs also between the sealing resin 17 and the conductive die pad 11 a in some cases. Further, defects in characteristics, such as operation failures and fluctuations in gain value, were also confirmed.

The inventors have carried out the hot and humid stress test, using semiconductor dies and conductive die pads of various different shapes and sizes to identify the cause, and have found that the conductive die bonding agent is responsible for the detachment and the operation failures. The inventors have further discovered that the foregoing problems can be effectively restrained by decreasing the areas of the conductive die pads, regardless of the sizes or the shapes of the semiconductor dies.

FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 are the sectional views of the semiconductor modules 2, 3 and 4 according to the first to the third embodiments, illustrating the modes that enable the area of each conductive die pad to be decreased. Each mode can be used in combination with other modes or used alone. The following will first describe the configurations of the semiconductor modules 2, 3 and 4, and then describe the advantages of the configurations.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the semiconductor module 2 according to the first embodiment. As described above, the conductive die pad 11 b differs from the conductive die pad 11 a of the comparative example in that the conductive die pad 11 b is designed to have a smaller area than that of the conductive die pad 11 a in a planar view. More specifically, the area of the conductive die pad 11 a of the comparative example is approximately 6.1 mm², and the area of the conductive die pad 11 b of the present embodiment is approximately 5.0 mm². Further, the amount and the viscosity of the conductive die bonding agent 14 a are adjusted in advance so as not to run off of the conductive die pad 11 b. Therefore, the area of the conductive die bonding agent 14 a in the planar view is also approximately 5.0 mm².

The area of the conductive die pad 11 b (and the conductive die bonding agent 14 a) has been reduced, so that a distance X between the boundary of the conductive die pad 11 b (and the conductive die bonding agent 14 a) and the boundary of the semiconductor die 12 a in the planar view decreases accordingly.

The distance X between the boundary of the conductive die pad 11 b and the semiconductor die 12 a in the planar view refers to a smallest distance among the distances of the perpendiculars between the sides constituting the boundary of the conductive die pad 11 b (and the conductive die bonding agent 14 a) and the corresponding sides of the semiconductor die 12 a. Hence, if the distance between an upper side of the conductive die pad 11 b and an upper side of the semiconductor die 12 a in the planar view is 0.1 mm, and the distance between the remaining sides of the conductive die pad 11 b and the corresponding remaining sides of the semiconductor die 12 a is 0.3 mm, then the distance X will be 0.1 mm. The distance X of the semiconductor module 10 in the comparative example is 0.125 mm, while the distance X of the semiconductor module 2 is 0.07 mm.

The advantageous effect of the embodiment obtained by the reduced area of the conductive die pad 11 b (and the conductive die bonding agent 14 a) will be discussed later.

FIG. 4A is a sectional view of a semiconductor module 3 according to a second embodiment. For the second embodiment and after, the aspects common to the first embodiment or the comparative example will not be described, and only different aspects will be described. In particular, the same operation and effect obtained by the same configuration will not be described for each embodiment.

The semiconductor module 3 differs from the semiconductor module 2 according to the first embodiment in that a conductive die pad 11 c and a conductive die pad 11 c′ (a second conductive die pad) adjacent to the conductive die pad 11 c are formed apart from each other. Further, semiconductor dies 12 a and 12 b (a second semiconductor die) are provided on the conductive die pads 11 c′ and 11 c, respectively. The adjoining semiconductor dies 12 a and 12 b are electrically connected by at least one wire 13 (a second wire).

Providing the plurality of conductive die pads 11 c and 11 c′ formed apart on a plurality of adjacent semiconductor dies 12 a and 12 b, respectively, by the wire 13 as described above makes it possible to decrease the areas of the conductive die pads. The amount and viscosity of conductive die bonding agents 14 a and 14 c (a second conductive die bonding agent) are adjusted to prevent the conductive die bonding agents 14 a and 14 c from running off of the conductive die pads 11 c and 11 c′ due to their surface tensions. This makes it possible to also decrease the areas of the conductive die bonding agents as the areas of the conductive die pads are decreased.

FIG. 4B is a sectional view of a semiconductor module 3 a, which is a modification example of the semiconductor module 3 according to the second embodiment. The semiconductor module 3 a differs from the semiconductor module 2 in that a solder resist 15 is provided on a region between adjoining semiconductor dies 12 a and 12 b (a third semiconductor die) on the conductive die pad 11 b. Therefore, conductive die bonding agents 14 a and 14 b (a third conductive die bonding agent) are blocked by the solder resist 15, thus making it possible to decrease the surface areas of the conductive die bonding agents 14 a and 14 b to 4.9 mm². Further, the solder resist 15 is provided adjacently to the semiconductor dies 12 a and 12 b, so that the distance between the boundary of the conductive die bonding agents 14 a and 14 b and the semiconductor die 12 a in the planar view can be further decreased to, for example, X=0.04 mm to 0.06 mm.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a semiconductor module 4 according to a third embodiment. The semiconductor module 4 differs from the semiconductor module 2 according to the first embodiment in that a solder resist 15′ (a second solder resist) is provided on a part of a conductive die pad 11 d, and the solder resist 15′ and a semiconductor die 12 b are connected by an insulating die bonding agent 14 b (insulating die bonding agent). Providing the semiconductor die 12 b, which is not required to be electrically connected to a bottom surface, on the solder resist 15′ makes it possible to restrain a conductive die bonding agent 14 a from spreading with a resultant increased surface area thereof. Further, the insulating die bonding agent 14 b is used, so that the area occupied by the conductive die bonding agent can be reduced.

FIG. 6A illustrates the relationship between the area of a conductive die pad (and a conductive die bonding agent) and the occurrence rate of detachment in the hot and humid stress test. FIG. 6B illustrates the relationship between the area of the conductive die pad (and the conductive die bonding agent) and the operation failure rate in the hot and humid stress test.

As illustrated in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, when the area of the conductive die pad (and the conductive die bonding agent) was 6.1 mm² (the comparative example), the sealing resin was detached in a part of 60% or more of the entire area of the product, and 40% or more of the semiconductor module incurred operation failures. When the area of the conductive die pad 11 b (and the conductive die bonding agent 14 a) was 5.0 mm² (the first embodiment), the detachment rate of the sealing resin remained below 40% of the entire area of the product, and below 10% of the semiconductor module incurred operation failures.

Even when the size of the semiconductor die 12 a was changed, reductions in detachment and operation failure were verified if the area of the conductive die pad 11 b (and the conductive die bonding agent 14 a) was 5.0 mm². For example, when the size of the semiconductor die 12 a was, e.g., 1.16 mm×1.06 mm, the foregoing effect was verified.

Further, when the sum of the areas of the conductive die pads 11 c and 11 c′ (and the conductive die bonding agents 14 a and 14 b) was 4.9 mm² (the second embodiment and a modification example thereof), further reductions in detachment and operation failure were verified. It was possible to reduce the operation failure rate, in particular, to 0%.

In addition, when the area of the conductive die pad 11 c was 3.2 mm² (the third embodiment), further reductions in detachment and operation failure were verified. It was possible to reduce, in particular, both the detachment occurrence rate and the operation failure to 0%.

Further, the results of similar hot and humid stress tests carried out on various configurations obtained by combining the foregoing configurations have revealed that, qualitatively, the detachment and operation failures can be reduced by decreasing the areas of the conductive die pads. For example, as illustrated by the second embodiment in comparison with the configuration of the comparative example, even if the surface area of the conductive die bonding agent is 5.0 mm² or more, the effect for reducing the detachment and the operation failures is obtained by adopting a configuration free of a conductive die bonding agent in a region between adjoining semiconductor dies, which are electrically connected by a wire, as compared with a configuration involving a conductive die bonding agent. Similarly, even if the surface area of the conductive die bonding agent is 5.0 mm² or more, the effect for reducing the detachment and the operation failures is obtained by using an insulating die bonding agent in the case of a semiconductor die that does not require the electrical connection from a bottom surface, as compared with the case involving the conductive die bonding agent, as illustrated by the third embodiment in comparison with the configuration of the comparative example. However, the operation failure rate in the hot and humid stress tests was dramatically decreased, regardless of the size of the semiconductor die, by setting the surface area of the conductive die pad (and the conductive die bonding agent) to 5.0 mm² or less.

Further, FIG. 7A illustrates the relationship between the distance X and the detachment occurrence rate in the hot and humid stress tests. FIG. 7B illustrates the relationship between the distance X and the operation failure rate in the hot and humid stress tests. The experiment results can be obtained mainly by further decreasing the size of the conductive die pad 11 b of the semiconductor module 2.

As illustrated in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, when X was 0.125 mm (the comparative example), the sealing resin was detached in a portion of 60% or more of the entire area of the product, and 40% or more of the semiconductor module incurred operation failures. When X was 0.07 mm, the detachment rate of the sealing resin was below 40% of the entire area of the product, and below 10% of the semiconductor module incurred operation failures.

Even when the size of the semiconductor die 12 a was changed, reductions in detachment and operation failure were verified when X was set to 0.07 mm. Further, it was possible to reduce the operation failure rate to 0% by further decreasing X to 0.06 mm, and to reduce the detachment occurrence rate to 0% by further decreasing X to 0.04 mm.

Thus, the detachment and the operation failures can be reduced by decreasing the distance X between the boundary of the semiconductor die and the boundary of the conductive die pad (and the boundary of the conductive die bonding agent that runs off of the conductive die pad) in the planar view. This is because, when a part of the conductive die bonding agent, which part exists in a gap between the conductive die pad and the semiconductor die, is compared with a part of the conductive die bonding agent, which part exists in a gap between the portion of the conductive die pad around the semiconductor die and the sealing resin, the latter conductive die bonding agent is considered to contribute to the detachment from the sealing resin and an operation failure. The foregoing effect is displayed when the area of the conductive die pad is set to 5.00 mm² or less; however, even if the area of the conductive die pad is larger than 5.00 mm², the foregoing effect will be displayed by decreasing the distance X.

As described above, in the structure in which the conductive die bonding agent electrically connects the conductive die pad and the semiconductor die is sealed by a resin, setting the areas of the conductive die pad and the conductive die bonding agent to 5.00 mm² or less enables the operation failure rate to be reduced by approximately 30% in comparison with the cases where the areas are set to be larger than 5.00 mm². When the foregoing setting of the areas is applied to all or nearly all the conductive die pads in a semiconductor module, the advantageous effect is more obvious. Alternatively, however, the setting of the areas may be applied to only several conductive die pads and the conductive die bonding agents (e.g. at least half the conductive die pads with the conductive die bonding agents included in the semiconductor module). Further, a part of the conductive die bonding agent may run off of a conductive die pad.

Decreasing the area of a conductive die pad leads to a higher possibility of the conductive die bonding agent running off of the conductive die pad and coming in contact with a wire bonding pad 18, resulting in an operation failure. Hence, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the edge of a conductive die pad 11 e may be formed to have an inverse tapered shape (shaped to expand in the opposite direction from the surface of a PCB base 16), and on a section perpendicular to the surface of the PCB base 16, an angle of contact α with the PCB base 16 may be set to an obtuse angle so as to increase the surface tension relative to the conductive die bonding agent 14 a thereby to restrain the conductive die bonding agent 14 a from running off.

The following will describe the manufacturing method for the conductive die pad 11 e. First, a mask (not illustrated) is attached to the surface of the PCB base 16 not provided with the conductive die pad 11 e. The mask has an acute contact angle with respect to the surface of the PCB base 16. With the mask attached, the conductive die pad 11 e is formed by plating or the like. Since the mask has the acute contact angle with respect to the surface of the PCB base 16, the conductive die pad 11 e can be formed to have the inverse tapered shape with the obtuse contact angle α.

Thus, forming the edge of the conductive die pad 11 e into the inverse tapered shape makes it possible to increase the angle of contact with the conductive die bonding agent and therefore to restrain the conductive die bonding agent from running off. This enables the conductive die pad 11 e to have a reduced area. As a result, the area of the conductive die pad 11 e exposed to the sealing resin 17 makes it possible to decrease the area of the conductive die bonding agent opposing thereto, thus enabling the occurrence of detachment, which is attributable to the conductive die bonding agent, to be restrained. Alternatively, only a part of the edge of the conductive die pad 11 e rather than the entire edge may be formed to the inverse tapered shape.

Further, the material of the conductive die bonding agent may be changed to a material which has a higher thermal conductivity than that of a conventional material. In the case of the comparative example, the entire bottom surface of the semiconductor die 12 a has the wet spread of the conductive die bonding agent 14 a in order to satisfy required heat dissipation characteristics. On the other hand, using a conductive die bonding agent having a higher thermal conductivity, e.g., a conductive die bonding agent 14 d of 2.5 [W/m·K] or more, makes it possible to satisfy a specification even if the area of the conductive die bonding agent is reduced.

For example, almost the entire or the entire conductive die bonding agent 14 d may be formed to remain within the region occupied by the semiconductor die 12 a provided on the conductive die pad 11 b in the planar view, as illustrated in FIG. 9. In other words, it can be said that, in the planar view, a region of the outer edge (a fourth region) exposed to the sealing resin in the region occupied by the conductive die pad 11 b surrounds a region (a third region) covered by the conductive die bonding agent 14 d.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 10, a configuration may be adopted, in which a plurality of heat dissipation vias 19 d are formed in a region occupied by a conductive die bonding agent 14 e in the planar view in order to improve the heat dissipation. The vias 19 d formed in the substrate are filled with a metal, thus providing high heat dissipation effect. Therefore, the wet spread area of the conductive die bonding agent 14 e can be reduced, and the heat dissipation characteristics can be maintained while restraining the conductive die bonding agent 14 e from running off of the conductive die pad 11 b, by providing the conductive die pad 11 b and the conductive die bonding agent 14 e such that the plurality of vias 19 d are included in the region occupied by the conductive die bonding agent 14 e.

Further, a configuration that combines the conductive die bonding agent 14 d having a higher thermal conductivity and the foregoing configuration may be adopted to further reduce the wet spread area of the conductive die bonding agent 14 d. In addition, the area of the wet spread can be reduced also by introducing a conductive die bonding agent 14 e with a higher viscosity. For example, even in a case where a conductive die bonding agent with a regular viscosity (a sixth conductive die bonding agent) is used and runs off of the conductive die pad 11 b and comes in contact with the PCB base 16, it is possible to maintain a larger contact angle to restrain the wet spread by using the conductive die bonding agent 14 e having a higher viscosity (e.g. 8000 [cP] or more).

Further, in place of a conductive die bonding agent, a conductive die attach film (DAF) may be used to connect a semiconductor die and a conductive die pad in a region where the possibility of the occurrence of at least the detachment is likely to be high. With this arrangement, the wet spread problem can be eliminated.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 11, a configuration may be adopted, in which a groove 20 is formed in the PCB base 16 to stop the wet spread of the conductive die bonding agent 14 c that runs off of the conductive die pad 11 b. For example, even if the conductive die bonding agent 14 c runs off, the conductive die bonding agent will flow into the groove 20 formed in the surface of the PCB base 16 between the semiconductor die 12 a and the wire bonding pad 18 connected with the semiconductor die 12 a by the wire 13, thus enabling an operation failure to be restrained.

Each of the configurations may be used alone or may be combined. Further, the configurations can be applied regardless of the area of a conductive die pad (and a conductive die bonding agent).

The following will describe a fourth embodiment.

For the fourth embodiment and after, the aspects common to the first embodiment will not be described, and only different aspects will be described. In particular, the same operation and effect obtained by the same configuration will not be described for each embodiment.

A semiconductor module according to the present embodiment has a configuration in which a semiconductor die and a plurality of conductive die pads formed apart are bonded by a conductive die bonding agent. The conductive die bonding agent electrically connects at least one conductive die pad and a semiconductor die, and electrically connects another conductive die pad, which is formed apart from the foregoing conductive die pad, and the semiconductor die, and covers a region between the semiconductor die and a substrate, the region being located between the conductive die pads.

For example, FIG. 12A illustrates a configuration which has nine conductive die pads 11 f formed apart from each other and a semiconductor die 12 a electrically connected with at least a part of each of the conductive die pad 11 f through a conductive die bonding agent 14 a (not illustrated). In the planar view, therefore, the semiconductor die 12 a has regions that overlap at least a part of each of the conductive die pads 11 f.

Thus, the conductive die pads 11 f are provided, being divided into smaller segments arranged in a mesh-like pattern. With this arrangement, the conductive die bonding agent 14 a provides the electrical connection between each of the conductive die pads 11 f and the semiconductor die 12 a. In addition, the conductive die bonding agent 14 a is positioned in the gaps between the conductive die pads 11 f and the semiconductor die 12 a so as to provide contact with the surface of a PCB base 16 having a height and a material that are different from those of the conductive die pads 11 f, thus making it possible to restrain the detachment by the enhanced adhesive strength due to an anchoring effect based on the difference in height.

As illustrated in FIG. 12B, the conductive die pads 11 f arranged in the mesh-like pattern may be provided, in a via land shape, as annular conductive die pads connected to the vias 19 d, which are passed through a part of or the entire PCB base 16. In this case, the heat dissipation effect of the via land can be expected in addition to the anchoring effect, so that the occurrence of the detachment can be prevented due to the restraint of the wet spread of the conductive die bonding agent 14 a.

The following will describe a fifth embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, a semiconductor module 5 includes a PCB base 16 (substrate), on which a conductive die pad 11 g and a semiconductor die 12 a provided on the conductive die pad 11 g are placed, the conductive die pad 11 g and the semiconductor die 12 a being electrically connected by a conductive die bonding agent 14 a. Further, adjacently to the conductive die pad 11 g, a wire bonding pad 18 and a metal wire provided continuously from the wire bonding pad 18 are formed. The semiconductor die 12 a and the wire bonding pad 18 are electrically connected by a wire 13. Further, the semiconductor die 12 a, the conductive die pad 11 g, the conductive die bonding agent 14 a, the wire 13, the wire bonding pad 18 and the like are sealed by a sealing resin 17.

In the present embodiment, the surface of the wire bonding pad 18 is made of Cu plated with Au or an alloy containing Au, such as NiPdAu. Hence, the wire bonding pad 18 can be ideally attached to the wire 13 made of, in particular, gold or the like.

The conductive die pad 11 g, on which the semiconductor die 12 a having the other end of the wire 13 is provided, is not plated with an alloy containing Au. The conductive die pad 11 g, including its surface, is made of Cu. Further, the Cu, which is the material of the conductive die pad 11 g, and the semiconductor die 12 a are electrically connected by the conductive die bonding agent 14 a.

The structure described above can be obtained according to the method illustrated in FIGS. 14A-14B.

First, Cu is used to form the wire bonding pad 18, the wires connected thereto and the conductive die pad 11 g on the PCB base 16. Then, a solder resist is applied to the wires excluding the wire bonding pad 18 to protect the wires. Subsequently, a mask film 21 is attached to the conductive die pad 11 g, the Cu of which is to be exposed, and then the conductive die pad 11 g with the mask film 21 on is placed in an Au plating tank to carry out Au plating (FIG. 14A).

As a result, the conductive die pad 11 g with the mask film 21 attached thereto, including the surface thereof, is formed of Cu, and the surface of the wire bonding pad 18 is plated with NiPdAu. Thereafter, the semiconductor die 12 a is bonded onto the conductive die pad 11 g by the conductive die bonding agent 14 a, and the entire workpiece is sealed by the sealing resin 17.

The semiconductor module 5 described above can be accomplished by the aforesaid manufacturing process. Alternatively, Au may be plated on the surface of the conductive die pad 11 g without attaching the mask film 21, and then the plating may be removed using a laser 22 to expose the Cu surface, as illustrated in FIG. 14B.

FIG. 15 is a graph illustrating the comparison of the gain fluctuation values after the hot and humid stress test between the case where NiPdAu is used as the material of the surface of the conductive die pad and the case where Cu is used as the material. As illustrated in the graph, a gain fluctuation value below 1 dB has been achieved in the latter case in contrast to the former case where the gain fluctuation value was 1.6 dB or more.

The above has described the illustrative embodiments of the present disclosure.

The semiconductor module 2 described above with regard to FIG. 3, for example, includes the PCB base 16, the conductive die pad 11 b placed on the substrate, the semiconductor die 12 a provided on the conductive die pad 11 b, the conductive die bonding agent 14 a that electrically connects the conductive die pad 11 b and the semiconductor die 12 a, the wire bonding pad 18 provided on the PCB base 16, the wire 13 that electrically connects the wire bonding pad 18 and the semiconductor die 12 a, and the sealing resin 17 that seals at least the conductive die pad 11 b, the semiconductor die 12 a, the conductive die bonding agent 14 a, the wire bonding pad 18, and the wire 13. In the planar view, the area of the conductive die pad 11 b is 5.0 mm² or less.

This arrangement makes it possible to provide a semiconductor module that restrains the detachment between a conductive die bonding agent and a conductive die pad or a semiconductor die and to restrain an operation failure. Further, in the planar view, the minimum value of the distance X between the boundary of the conductive die pad 11 b and the semiconductor die 12 a may be 0.07 mm or less. With this arrangement, the amount of the conductive die bonding agent 14 a that runs off of the semiconductor die 12 a and is exposed to the sealing resin 17 can be reduced, thus enabling the detachment to be restrained.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4A, the conductive die pad 11 c provided adjacently to and apart from the conductive die pad 11 c′, the semiconductor die 12 b provided on the conductive die pad 11 c, the conductive die bonding agent 14 c that electrically connects the conductive die pad 11 c and the semiconductor die 12 b, and the wire 13 that electrically connects the semiconductor die 12 a and the semiconductor die 12 b may be provided on the PCB base 16. With this arrangement, the conductive die pads are divided between adjoining semiconductor dies, thus making it possible to restrain the wet spread of the conductive die bonding agent.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the semiconductor die 12 b provided adjacently to the semiconductor die 12 a, the conductive die bonding agent 14 b that electrically connects the conductive die pad 11 b and the semiconductor die 12 b may be provided on the conductive die pad 11 b, and the solder resist 15 provided in the gap between the semiconductor die 12 a and the semiconductor die 12 b may be provided on the conductive die pad 11 b. With this arrangement, the solder resist 15 provided between the semiconductor dies restrains the wet spread of the conductive die bonding agent 14 a into the region.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the second solder resist 15′ provided adjacently to the semiconductor die 12 a, a fourth semiconductor die 12 b provided on the second solder resist 15′, and the insulating or conductive die bonding agent 14 b that connects the fourth semiconductor die 12 b and the second solder resist 15′ may be provided on the conductive die pad 11 d. With this arrangement, for a semiconductor die that does not require electrical connection from the bottom surface, the insulating die bonding agent is provided, thus making it possible to restrain the occurrence of the detachment or the like attributable to a conductive die bonding agent.

On at least one section perpendicular to the surface of the PCB base 16, the conductive die pad 11 e may be formed to have an inverse tapered shape having the obtuse contact angle α with respect to the PCB base 16 so as to expand in the opposite direction from the surface of a PCB base 16, as shown in FIG. 8. This arrangement makes it possible to restrain the conductive die bonding agent from running off.

The conductive die pad 11 b has the third region covered by the conductive die bonding agent 14 d, and the fourth region exposed to the sealing resin 17, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 11. In the planar view, the third region may be surrounded by the fourth region. With this arrangement, the surface area of the conductive die bonding agent can be reduced, thus making it possible to restrain the occurrence of the detachment attributable to the conductive die bonding agent.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, a plurality of vias 19 d may be provided in the third region in the planar view. The plurality of vias 19 d are passed through the PCB base 16 and have therein a metal electrically connected with the conductive die pad 11 b. This arrangement enables heat to be dissipated from the plurality of vias 19 d, so that required heat dissipation characteristics can be maintained even when the amount of the conductive die bonding agent is decreased.

As the conductive die bonding agent, the conductive die bonding agent 14 e may be used. The conductive die bonding agent 14 e has a viscosity that is higher than the viscosity of the conductive die bonding agent 14 a that runs off of the conductive die pad 11 b and comes in contact with the PCB base 16 when the same amount as that of the conductive die bonding agent 14 e is used, and also has a higher angle of contact than the angle of contact between the conductive die bonding agent 14 a and the PCB base 16. With this arrangement, the wet spread of the conductive die bonding agent 14 e can be restrained.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the groove 20 is formed in the region between the conductive die pad 11 b and the wire bonding pad 18 on the PCB base 16, and a part of the conductive die bonding agent 14 c may flow into the groove 20. This arrangement enables the wet spread of the conductive die bonding agent 14 e to be restrained, so that the detachment due to the wet spread can be restrained.

Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the semiconductor module 5 includes the PCB base 16, the conductive die pad 11 g which is provided on the PCB base 16 and the surface material of which is Cu, the semiconductor die 12 a provided on the conductive die pad 11 g, the conductive die bonding agent 14 a that electrically connects the conductive die pad 11 g and the semiconductor die 12 a, the wire bonding pad 18 which is provided on the PCB base 16 and the surface material of which is a metal containing Au, and the wire 13 that electrically connects the wire bonding pad 18 and the semiconductor die 12 a. This arrangement makes it possible to provide a semiconductor module that exhibits improved gain characteristics, as compared with the case where a conductive die pad using Au as its surface material is adopted.

A metal wire to be connected to the wire bonding pad 18 may be further provided, and the conductive die pad 11 g and the metal wire may be formed using the same metal material containing Cu. With this arrangement, the conductive die pad and the metal wire can be formed in the same process.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12A, the semiconductor module may include the PCB base 16, the first conductive die pad 11 f provided on the PCB base 16, the second conductive die pad 11 f provided adjacently to and apart from the first conductive die pad 11 f on the PCB base 16, the semiconductor die 12 a, and the conductive die bonding agent 14 a which is in contact with the first conductive die pad 11 f, the second conductive die pad 11 f, and the PCB base 16 in the gap between the first conductive die pad 11 f and the second conductive die pad 11 f and which electrically connects the first conductive die pad 11 f and the second conductive die pad 11 f to the semiconductor die 12 a. According to this configuration, the conductive die bonding agent is in contact with both the conductive die pads and the substrate, thus making it possible to further restrain the detachment by the anchoring effect.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12B, the vias 19 d may be provided, which are passed through the PCB base 16 and which have therein metals to be electrically connected with the conductive die pads 11 f′, and the vias 19 d may be provided, which are passed through the PCB base 16 and which have therein metals to be electrically connected with the conductive die pads 11 f′. With this arrangement, heat can be dissipated through the vias, so that the conductive die bonding agent that is responsible for the detachment can be decreased.

Further, a first conductive die pad may be formed to be annular and connected to a first via 19 d, and a second conductive die pad may be formed to be annular and connected to a second via 19 d. With this arrangement, conductive die pads can be provided by making use of a via land.

The embodiments described above are intended for easy understanding of the present disclosure, and are not to be considered as limiting the present disclosure. The present disclosure can be modified or improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present disclosure covers equivalents thereof. More specifically, anything obtained by adding design alterations, as necessary, to the embodiments by persons skilled in the art will be encompassed by the scope of the present disclosure insofar as the features of the present disclosure are included. For example, the elements used in the embodiments and the placement, the materials, the conditions, the shapes, the sizes, and the like of the elements are not limited to those illustrated and may be changed, as appropriate. Further, it is needless to say that the embodiments are illustrative, and configurations illustrated in different embodiments can be partly replaced or combined, and these are to be covered by the scope of the present disclosure insofar as the features of the present disclosure are included. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor module comprising: a substrate; a first conductive die pad provided on the substrate; a second conductive die pad provided adjacently to and apart from the first conductive die pad on the substrate; a wire bonding pad provided on the substrate; a semiconductor die; a conductive die bonding agent which is in contact with the first conductive die pad, the second conductive die pad, and the substrate in a gap between the first conductive die pad and the second conductive die pad and which electrically connects the first conductive die pad and the second conductive die pad to the semiconductor die; a wire that electrically connects the wire bonding pad and the semiconductor die; and a sealing resin that seals the first conductive die pad, the second conductive die pad, the wire bonding pad, the semiconductor die, the conductive die bonding agent, and the wire.
 2. A semiconductor module comprising: a substrate; a first conductive die pad provided on the substrate; a second conductive die pad provided adjacently to and apart from the first conductive die pad on the substrate; a semiconductor die; a conductive die bonding agent which is in contact with the first conductive die pad, the second conductive die pad, and the substrate in a gap between the first conductive die pad and the second conductive die pad and which electrically connects the first conductive die pad and the second conductive die pad to the semiconductor die; a first via which passes through the substrate and which has therein a metal to electrically connect with the first conductive die pad; and a second via which passes through the substrate and which has therein a metal to electrically connect with the second conductive die pad.
 3. The semiconductor module according to claim 2, wherein: the first conductive die pad is formed annular and connected to the first via; and the second conductive die pad is formed annular and connected to the second via. 